Potential-starter attachment.



PATENTED 00T. 15", 1907.

, H.l w'. CHENEY. POTENTIAL STARTER ATTACHMENT.

APYLIOATII FILED HOV. 23. 1906'.

GS) A v'UNITED sTATEs` PATENT oEEIGE.

HERBERTv W. CHENEY, OF vNORWOOD, OHIO, ASISIGNOR TO ALLIS CHALMERS COMPANY,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY, AND THE BULLOCK ELECTRIC MANUFATURING COM- FNY, CORPORATION OF OHIO;

Asors;ra'rraras'MMEE ATTACHMENT.

Vspecification omettere Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907.

Application led November 28\,-190. \S\erial No. 3443525.

Be it known that I,HERBERT W. CHENEY, a-citizen ofthe United States, 'residing at Norwood, in the'county of'Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain My invention relates to starting'controllers for electric motors, and more particularly to fool-proof potential starters for poly-phase induction motors. i In operating starting devices for some'types of motors, especially in potential starters for induction motors, it is often undesirable that the controller be moved backwards rorn a running to a starting position.

To this end controllers have been designed which move yso'- i tion are not proportioned to carry current continuously directly from the running tothe "off position withi out passing through the starting positions'. Inmy o o-pending .application No. 336,757, filed September 29, 1906, there isl described'- an attachmentor motor starters iii which means are provided for preventing such a controller from being moved backward from av running to a starting position, or from an off position directly to arunning position, while allowing' a backward movement of the controller from any st.a.l'ting" position. It is possible however for controllers suchas are there shown to be left ina starting position indefinitely instead of being moved to a runosition as soon as the motor has gained sufficient ning p speed. As the various windings which are connected in circuit when the controller is in a pstarting posithe'controller in a s tingl ition, arra ements P05 ng being provided to move the controller lbackwivard to o position if itiis released by the operator while it is in a starting position. l

In one aspect my invention consists of a controller biased toward off position when in a startingi po-- sition, and means for unbiasing said controller when it is moved to running position.

ln a more speciiic aspect my. invention consists of a controller` for electric motors comprising a rotatable `drum, contact fingers coperating therewith, means for preventing backward movement of the controller from certain positions, a spring which tends to. move the drum to yoff position when it is in any position from which it may be moved backward, and means for releasing the'drum from said spring when it is moved to any other position.

. plicate off indicated in Fig. 3. The controller here shown passes I Other features of my invention willappear hereinafter and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a partial sectional elevation of the upper part oi a controller embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the lirie 2-2 of Fig. 1; andFig. 3 is a development` of the notched ring on the `controller capplate.

Referring to the drawings 10 is a controller casing surmpunted by a cap-plate 11. Withinthe casing 10 is a dontroller drum A of any desired structure, but the operating mechanism here shown is especially designed for a controller having duplicate halves, respectively co-acting with the two sets of diametrically opposite contact fingers duringone complete operation of the controller and with the opposite sets during the next complete 4operation thereof. Such a controller has dustarting, and running positions as through two Vstarting positions between the off and the running positions, though any desired number of starting7 positions may be used. In the arrangement shown analogous positions are 180 apart. The .particular construction and arrangement of the lcontroller drum, however, forms no part of my present invention, which is equally applicable to controllers having but one off and` one running position with any desired number of starting positions between them. v

Extending upwardly from the cap-plate 11 andy preferably integral' therewith is a ring or plate 12 having pairs of notches 13 and 13, 14 and 14a, 15 and 15, and 16 and 16, which correspond tothe off, iirst starting, second starting, and running positions respectivelyv of the controller. The controller drum A is mounted on a shaft 17, on the upper end of which fits the operating handle 18 movable by a knob 19 at its outer end'. -Pivotedvlat `20Il to the under side of'the handle 18 is a pawl 20, the inner end of which is normally pressed downward by a spring 2l into engagement with the upper surface of the ring 12. v The inner end of the pawl 20 however may be lifted by means of a push-button 22 in the knob 19, said push-button having a downward extension 23 whichl normally eng-ages the outer end of said pawl. If desired, there may be a spring 24 which normally holds the pushbutton v22 in its uppermost position.

The ring l2 is constr\.icted so that between vcertain of the notches as between 15 and 16, 16 and 13, 15 and 16, and 16l and 13, ratchet teeth are formed to prevent backward movement of the controller while between vthe remaining notches are formed lower ratchet teeth loo wise direction of the same height, which-is such that the inner end of pawl 20 may be lifted over said sides by the push-button 22; the notches 14, 15, 14a, and 1 5a have -that side toward the next position in the backward or anti-clockwise direction cut away to form the low sides of the low ratchet teeth; while the notches 13, 16, 13" and 16*L have the side toward the next backward position of such height that the inner end of pawl 20 cannot be lifted over them' by means of the push-button 22 to allowV a backward movement but can be raised over them in the forward movement by theinclined-plane action of the surfaces approaching said notches in a forward or clockwise direction. With the arrangements just described the controller can be moved forward from any position by depressing the pushbutton 22 'to raise `the inner end of pawl 20 over 'the forward side of the notch with which it is in engagel ment. From the off and the running positions,

backward movement is impossible because of the height of the, rear sides of the notches 13,16, 13"l and 16. lFrom the starting positions, backward movement is possible without depressing push-button 22.

Fixed on the kdrum shaft 17 just below the cap-plate i 11 .isa collar '50'having projections 51 and 52 notched at th ends asshown. In the path through which these projections must travel is a roller 53 mounted on the end of the arm 54, which in its turn is pivoted on the outer end of a second arm 55, the inner Vend ofvvhich is loosely mounted 4on the shaft 17. A .spring 56 extending between the free .end of the arm 54 and a' proj ection 57l onl thehub of arm 55 tends to draw the 54 inwardly, the' movement of the latter `in this vdirection being limited by the 4stops l58 and 59 on the arms- 54 and 55 respectively. The outward movement of the arm.

54 islimited by stops60 and 61 respectively mounted on the arms 54 and 55. The stop 61 normally engages yWith'a buffer 62 toward-which it is biased by means of a spiral spring 63 extending between the bearing 64 in which the shaft 17 is 'mounted 'and -a pin 65 extend-` 'ing downward from the arm 55. On the lower side of the arm 54 and preferably on the. same pin as the roller 53 vis a similar roller 66, which, when the various l parts are moved in a clockwise direction is arranged to engage witha projection 67 extending upward-ly from the support for the bearing 64 into its path. This projecti'on is soshaped that when' it is engaged byfthe rollerV 66, the latter'is moved outwardly against the action of the spring 56, carrying the arm 54 and the roller 53 with it land separating the roller 53 from the notch in the projection 51 or 52. i -I When the .controller is in either of' its off-i positions,

I the parts are as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 `or 180 therefrom. Thenotdh in projection 52 say is just about to engageA the roller 53. When the push-button 22 isv depressed to release the pawl 20 ,from the notch 13 with which it is in engagement, and the controller is moved forward into the first starting position to bring said 'pawl into engagement with-notch 14, the projection 52 engages the,.1ol ler 53 andmoves it together with its in its Iengagement with the notch 14 does not prevent this. When the motor has started and gained sufficient speed, the operator continuously holding the handle 19 during this starting, the controller is moved forward successively into the second starting and running positions indicated by the notches 15 and 16. Until the running". position is reached, the spring 63 still tends to move the controller drum backwardsand will do so if the handle 19 is released. As the controlleris moved into running position, the pawl 20`drops into the notch 16 sliding over its high side. Now backward movement is prevented, because the push-button 22 can not be depressed sufficiently `to raise the pawl 20 over the high side of the notch 16. AAlso as the controller approaches this running position the roller -66 engages with the projection 67 and is forced outwardly, and inally,1as the notch 16 is reached, is moved out far enough to disengage the projection '52 from the roller 53, thus allowing spring 463 to move the arms 55 and 54 .backward to their normal position, the stop 6l contacting with the buffer 62 to take the shock. The

vstops 60 and 61 prevent the free end ofthe arm 541'om locked against such movement by the pawl 20 and the high side of vmach 16, the handle 19 may now be re- .leased by the operator'. The `controllercan-nowbe moved forwardfrom the running'.posit-ion, upon 'depressing the push-button 2 2, which movement. wiil place the controller again 'in an ofi position, this off vposition being 180 removed from the former oi position, the projections 51 `and 52 having exchanged places'.u -The same series of operationsmay now be repeated, the finger 51 acting during this operation as 'the ringer 52 did inthe former.

n is evident. that muy substitimonsmis modifica f' tions may be made' in the particular structure herein shown anddescribed, and L'intend4 to'fcover in my claims ithe broad features of my invention including all such obvious modifications and substitutions'.

.What l claimas my invention is:- 1. A controller biased toward off position when' in A starting position, and means for unbiasing -said'corb troller whenever it is moved to f running position.

2. FA controller for electric motors, comprising xed'and movable contacts, said movable contacts being biased t o ,ward olii position when the controller is in starting position, and means for unbiasing said movable lcontacts whenever the controller is moved into running position.

3, ln a controller, contact fingers, n drum' coperating therewith, said drum having ot', starting and run: ning positions a spring, which tends to move said drum positions, and means for freeing said drum from said bias when it is moved into certain other operative positions.

5. A controller for electric motors, comprising a rota-` table drum coperatingwith fixed contacts, said -dr m 'bevto off position 'when it is in a starting position, and

ing biased toward olf 'position when -in starting position, and 4means for unbiasing said drum whenever lit is moved to. running" position.

6. A controller for ,electric motors comprising a rotatable drum, contact ngers'coperatlng v,tliere'witli, 'means for preventing backward movement o'f said drum from the olf or `the running position, ya spring-returned meinber .which is engaged by the drum as the latter is 'moved contacts with g to starting" position, and means for disengaging said drum from said member as the drum is moved into run ning position. y

7. A controller for electric motors comprising a rotatable drum, contact fingers cooperating therewith, means for preventing backward movement of said drum from the olf or the running position, a spring-returned member which is engaged by vthe drum as the latter is moved. away from 0E position, and means for disengaging said drum from'said member as the drum is moved into running position,

8. controller for electric motors comprising a rotatable drum, contact ngers coperating therewith, means for preventing backward movement ofthe controller from certain positions, a springwhich tends to'move the-drum to oil' position when itr is in any position from which it may be moved backward, and means for releasing the drum from said spring when it is moved to any otherpositi'o'n.

9. A controller for electric motors, comprising a rota- -table drum, contact fingerscoperatng therewith, a collar movable with said drum, a projection trom said collar, 'a spring pressed lever in the path of said projection and arranged to engage it when the controller is in a starting'f position whereby the ,controller is returned to ol posi'- tion if then released, andnieans for disengaging said lever and said projection when thecontroller is moved to runA ning" position.

10. A controller for electric motors, comprising a rotatable drum, contact fingers cooperating therewith, a collar movable with vsaid drum, projections from said collar, a spring pressed lever in the path ofsaid projections, and arranged to be engaged by one of them whenl the controller is in starting position, and means for releasing said lever fromengagement with said projection when the controller is moved into running position, whereby the drum while in starting position is biased toward rolf N position.

11. A controller for electric motors, comprising a rotataille drum normally movable` always in the samevdirection, means for preventing backward movement of said 'com `troller from off or running position,l means tending Mtomove said controller backward to om position when it is in other' than loff or. running DQSUP, and

therefor. la handle on said shaft, a manually released latch on said handle cooperating vwith. a stationary' notched plate, some ot the notches of said notch plate being formed to lock the handle against backward movement and others to allow a free backward m vement, and means tending to lmove said drum backward when it is in a position in which the notch-plate allows backward movement.

13. ln a controller, a shaft, a handle therefor, and a fixed notched plate cooperating with a-manuaily releasabie latch in the handle, the notches of said plate being seA formed that somenf them prevent backwardmovement of the handle and others offerno hindrance to such backward movement while all of them necessitate a manual release or the latch in order tomove the handle forward.

'14.111 a controller, a shaft, a handle therefor, a fixed, notchedlplate cooperating with a manually releasable latch in the handle, the notch'es of said plate being so. formed that some of them prevent backward movement o! the han' die and others oer no hindrance to such backward movement while all o1! them necessitate a. manual release o! the latch in order to move the handleforward, and a spring tending to move said handle backward. l

'15. In av controller, a shaft, a handle therefor, a. fixed notched plate coperating with a manually releasable latch in the handle, the notches of said plate being so formed that some of them -prevent backward movement ot. the handle and others oder no 4hindrance to such backward movement while all of them necessitate a manual `release o1'.

the latch in order to move the handle lforward, and, a spring tending to move said handle backward when it is lin a position from which backward movement is not pre-` `vented..

In testimony whereof I aix my signature, in the p resence of vtwo witnesses.

HERBERT w. CHENEY,

` Witnesses:

Gao. B. Scrrnnr,A FRED J. Kinsey. 

